Thérèse Coffey criticised for giving leftover antibiotics to a friend
Doctors have rounded up Health Secretary Therese Coffey after she admitted to sharing prescription drugs with others, actions the British Medical Association has described as both dangerous and against the law.
Coffey told officials at a meeting last month that she had given leftover antibiotics to a poor friend, an admission that came as the discussion on how to ease pressure on struggling GPs passed public behavior around antibiotics.
Coffey’s comments have caused despair and disbelief among medical professionals who fear members of the public will come to the false conclusion that it is safe and legal to share unused medication because the Secretary of State had done it. A doctor accused Coffey of “monumental stupidity”.
The backlash came amid reports of plans to allow pharmacies to prescribe antibiotics without patients being seen by their GP first. The proposals have raised concerns that antibiotics could be distributed more freely, leading to more drug-resistant microbes and ultimately threatening patient health.
Dr Rachel Clarke, an NHS palliative care doctor who works at a hospital near Oxford, said it was ‘monumental foolishness’ for Coffey to hand out antibiotics to others.
“What she has admitted to doing is illegal, and either she thinks she can break the law with impunity or she is too ignorant to know that distributing NHS drugs to people who are not the intended recipient is a very serious matter,” Clarke said. . “If you have someone of that stature saying ‘well, I’m handing out antibiotics to my friends and family’, that’s practically encouraging the public to do the same. It’s so irresponsible."
That’s “Clueless” Coffey for you … 
The sheer stupidity of some Tory Cabinet Members beggars belief … 
